Make ahead appetizer ideas?

August 27, 2008 5:12 PM

Looking for some good make-ahead appetizer recipes for an upcoming afternoon get-together.

We're having a small get together of ten people, and I am looking for items that can be made a day or two before, and just be put out when it's go time. Things that we can bake just before putting out are okay, but cold or room temperature items are preferred.

We're not really into the olives/spiced nuts/cold cut platter type of things, and are trying to avoid items that are heavy on the dairy. Bonus points if you happen to know of any high-carb/low-fat recipes.

So far I've come up with some maybes:
Shrimp cocktail
Cherry tomatoes w/roasted garlic filling
Homemade bread with some type of spread (ideas welcome)
Parmesan, rosemary, and walnut shortbread
The requisite fruit/veggie and dip platter

posted by smalls to food & drink (14 comments total)

Hummus, tzatziki, baba ghanoush. High-carb, low-fat? Tabbouleh.
posted by holgate at 5:25 PM on August 27, 2008

Tortilla, cold, cut into small slices. Definitely high-carb.
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 5:27 PM on August 27, 2008

it's not exactly low-fat, but low-carb and yummy: deviled eggs! you can mix smoked salmon into the yolk and top with salmon roe.

you could probably sub the mayo with low-fat sour cream with good results.
posted by thinkingwoman at 5:32 PM on August 27, 2008

oops, you want high-carb, not low-carb.
well, deviled eggs are still good. :)

stuffed mushrooms would keep.
posted by thinkingwoman at 5:34 PM on August 27, 2008

I just had a dinner party (for ten people, even!) where I avoided the oven as much as possible. Here's what I made (influenced heavily by what was available at the farmers market the day before):

- very fresh tomatoes with basil and mozzarella on them
- watermelon/feta salad
- black bean/corn/pepper salad
- roasted vegetables with mint-yogurt dipping sauce: I roasted them in a big pan, let them cool, then put them on wooden skewers so they'd be easier to eat, and served them at room temperature. You can also add cooked sausage to some of the skewers if you have meat-eaters (I did).
- curried chicken salad with pita (buy a rotisserie chicken, take it apart, add a chopped apple, some yogurt/mayo, and curry spices).
posted by ethorson at 5:54 PM on August 27, 2008

I make a really awesome savory pastry thingie with turkey, hummus, cheddar and basil. I've never made it ahead of time, but I suspect you could. Take a thawed sheet of puff pastry and roll it up with turkey, hummus, cheddar, and shredded fresh basil in it. Slice along the roll so you end up with a bunch of little swirls. Right before baking, brush with a beaten egg, then bake 'til it gets all golden brown and smells good! (Probably like 15 minutes.)

Similar to this recipe but with different fillings if you want more exact directions: http://www.puffpastry.com/recipedetail.aspx?recipeID=24044&rc=-1
posted by wuzandfuzz at 7:00 PM on August 27, 2008

This is relatively high-carb, but not very low fat. On the other hand, people will scarf these faster than you can possibly imagine.

I think I may have posted this somewhere here before, butI never make this the same way twice, so here's an approximation:

1/2 packet good streaky bacon
1lb mushrooms - you could just use button, but I prefer a mix of whatever's fresh
1 onion
1/2 head fresh fennel (optional)
2 cloves garlic
worcestershire sauce
whatever umami-packed sauce dealies you have in your fridge
a bit of something spicy
several (6-8) tubes of Pillsbury crescent rolls (yes, I know it's cheating, but I am pants at pastry)
fresh grated Asiago or Romano cheese (the real stuff, I beg you)

1) Chop the bacon very small, place in a cold (important!!!!) pan and put over low heat to render. You don't want it to sizzle until very close to the end; you want the fat to melt out as much as possible

2) While bacon is rendering, chop the garlic, slice the onions, and chop the mushrooms

3) Once bacon is cooked, remove from the fat. Use the fat on med-low heat to cook the mushrooms. (Oh yes. Mushrooms cooked in bacon fat, baby). The mushrooms should reduce by at least half, usually more. Add the garlic at the end, enough to cook it through but you don't want it burnt.

4) In a separate pan, caramelize the onions

5) Add the onions and the bacon to the pan of mushrooms. Reduce to a very low heat, add a slodge of Worcester sauce and whatever other goopy bits you're adding. Let everything cook very low and slow together and get happy

6) Open the Pillsbury tubes. The dough comes in triangles; cut each one in half.

7) Place a spoonful of the mushroom mixture into the centre of each piece; fold the corners over to the middle. Bake per package directions.

8) Immediately after you pull them out of the oven, sprinkle liberally with cheese

9) Bask in the adoration of the multitudes.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 7:32 PM on August 27, 2008 [1 favorite]

Can I assume you've already read through The 101 Appetizers list from the Minimalist last year?
posted by knile at 8:50 PM on August 27, 2008 [1 favorite]

Ok...

1.) When I worked in a deli, a lady told me about an appetizer she was making for a holiday party. Tried it myself, and it was a pretty big hit.

Cold corned beef - thinly sliced, think buddig beef.
Cream cheese
Kosher pickles - whole, deli style, hot or regular per taste

Spread the cream cheese on the corned beef.
Wrap said combo around the pickles.
Slice pickles about an inch thick - or to taste.
Serve cold.
Should keep for a day or two, no problem.

2.) A friend had these at a reception after her senior recital. Again, I tried it out for myself with good results.

Crusty bread - baguette of choice.. (Bagels halved and then quartered work too.)
Cream cheese
Thinly sliced lox
Red onion
Capers

Slice the bread about 2 inches or so per slice
Slice the red onion thinly.
Spread cream cheese on the bread.
Place a piece of lox on each serving.
Top each with a slice of red onion and a few capers.
Serve Cold.

If it's an afternoon party, preparation the night before should be fine, especially with "crusty bread."


You could also try stuffing pita bread with chicken salad or other spreads and cutting into finger-food sized portions...

Hope your party is a success!

Ps. "You're killing me, Smalls!" ... The Sandlot? No? Sorry.
posted by Kimothy at 9:08 PM on August 27, 2008 [1 favorite]

If it's an afternoon party, preparation the night before should be fine, especially with "crusty bread."

Unless you're using stale bread, this is probably a bad idea. The moisture in the cream cheese will soggify the bread.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 9:15 PM on August 27, 2008

melon balls soaked in port.
prawn cocktail wrapped in smoked salmon. The rolls are best made in advance into little plastic-wrapped sausages and refrigerated, so they hold together when you serve them.
Baby beetroot cooked or pickled with pepper and juniper
posted by Jakey at 4:22 AM on August 28, 2008

If you do make the filled cherry tomatoes, you can make the filling ahead of time and refrigerate it, but I wouldn't recommend refrigerating the filled tomatoes. Refrigerating tomatoes permanently alters their taste and texture for the worse.
posted by redfoxtail at 4:57 AM on August 28, 2008

Try this caramelized bacon recipe from the NY Times. I've made it twice for dinner parties and it's instantly gone. Make double what you think you'll need and it will still be instantly gone. The next time I had people over, they complained bitterly that I hadn't made the bacon again. It keeps really well for a day or so in a sealed Tupperware container. It's a little messy to make but not too bad. Use thick sliced bacon and please note it is very important to use a rimmed baking sheet. Here's the recipe, written by Patricia Marx and lifted directly from the Times website. Enjoy!

Caramelized Bacon

You can make this up to 3 days in advance. Keep in a tightly sealed container at room temperature. This is a dish that can't be ruined. You can freeze the leftovers. But why are there leftovers?

1 pound bacon

1 1-pound box light brown sugar (about 2 1/4 cups).

1. Go to a butcher and spend as much money as you have on very good bacon. Cut it into medium-thick slices, say, 316 of an inch.

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large, rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper. Dump a box of brown sugar into a big bowl. Light brown sugar is best, but if you want to use dark brown, I won't stop you. Add 1/4 cup of water, so that the sugar becomes more than damp but less than soupy. Some bacon caramelizers add a dash of cayenne pepper, but I think this makes the dish too nutritious.

3. Dredge the bacon in the sugar, one slice at a time. If the sugar isn't sticking to the bacon, add some more water a teaspoon at a time until it sticks. (By the way, you won't use all of the sugar, but it's good to have extra.) Place the bacon strips on the paper. I then smear some sugar on top of the bacon, on the theory that if a little sweet is good, more is better.

4. Place the bacon in the oven. It's impossible for me to tell you how long to cook the bacon because it depends on whether you like it chewy or crispy. Some recipes tell you to keep it in the oven for 8 to 13 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the bacon. I keep it in on the longer side. You should take yours out when it resembles the kind of bacon you would like to eat. Cut it into roughly 1 1/2-inch triangles. Serve at room temperature. Serves 8 to 10.

--
posted by Kangaroo at 5:30 AM on August 28, 2008 [4 favorites]

sushi balls, from Didi Emmon's Vegetarian Planet, have always gone over well for me. I kind of wing it on the vegetable proportions, and add different things depending on what I have. I also usually opt out of rolling them in sesame seeds and give them either a sprinkle of sesame or gomasio instead. But here's the recipe with proportions from the book, with the sauce she uses. (I use a thinned out version of the peanut sauce I already wrote up here.)

2 c sushi rice
1/3 c rice vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c chopped hijiki
2 carrots, minced
5 scallions, green part only, chopped fine
1/4 c sesame seeds (I've found that when I do roll them in sesame seeds, it takes more like a whole cup to cover the batch)

Make the sushi rice—be sure to rinse it well.
Combine all the other ingredients except the sesame seeds in a large non-reactive bowl.
Toast the sesame seeds, if you're using them, and transfer to a small plate to let them cool.
Dump the rice into the bowl of vinegar etc. Stir with a wooden spoon for three minutes to cool the rice. (You can let it sit for a while here—it will probably still be too hot unless you have chef hands.)
Form balls (golf-ball sized works well, I think). Roll in sesame, if using, and place on an oiled baking sheet. (I find it helps to keep a large bowl of cool water to dip my hands into and to wash them completely every ten balls or so—your hands get sticky rather quickly, and then the balls get really ugly.)

Wasabi-ginger sauce
1 tbsp wasabi powder
1/4 c water
1 garlic clove
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
2 tbsp. canola or corn oil
1 tsp sugar
3 tbsp rice vinegar
3 tbsp soy sauce

Combine all ingredients in food processor or blender and blend until garlic and ginger are chopped fine. (caution—this may cause thin spicy liquid to shoot out the cracks of your cuisinart, so if you aren't using a blender, maybe put the ginger and garlic in first with a little liquid, then work up.)

I personally think they're better with the peanut sauce, because it's less drippy and better for finger food. But I may have a peanut sauce bias, since I kind of live off of it during the school year. Oh, and you can make the balls two days ahead.
posted by felix grundy at 6:50 AM on August 28, 2008